Corps of contempt puts Saddam on his guard against his guards

Elite forces from Iraq's Republican Guard may not be called upon to protect Saddam Hussein from an American attack - because he is afraid they might turn against him.

The Iraqi President is determined to keep his crack troops out of Baghdad, where their tanks and heavy weaponry could be used to overthrow the regime.

According to a non-Iraqi source with well-placed Baghdad contacts, "it's touch and go who they fight for".

"The officer corps in the Republican Guard are highly trained and motivated, but they hate Saddam Hussein. They also hate the United States. They have a political mind of their own, and there's no way Saddam will let them come with their armour into the centre of town."

The United Nations is now scrambling to devise a means of forcing Iraqi to succumb to renewed arms inspections in an effort to avoid war. If that fails, Iraq has already made it clear that it aims to draw invading US forces into urban warfare. ");document.write("

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The result in Iraq, Baghdad strategists calculate, would be to maximise casualties among the US military and Iraqi civilians, adding to the political risks for the US.

But the Republican Guard, which numbers 50,000 to 60,000, was set up as a counterweight to the regular army and to protect the Government, especially the presidential palace in Baghdad. During the 1980-88 war with Iran it became an elite force.

Although highly privileged and well-equipped compared with the regular army, it has become less trusted as a result of several coup plots involving officers from the guard.

This led to an expansion of the super-elite Special Republican Guard, which is now the only force trusted enough to operate in central Baghdad.

The specials' main function is to protect Saddam, his relatives and palaces.

Doubts about the Republican Guard's trustworthiness do not necessarily mean it would switch sides and support the US.

Disaffected officers might judge that their interests and special privileges would be better served by pre-empting the US and replacing Saddam or establishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with by a new regime.

Some in the West say the guard's disaffection can be exploited.

Brigadier Tawfiq al-Yasari, a spokesman for the opposition Military Alliance of exiled officers, said:

"There has to be a political, strategic plan to approach these people. Our military council has started a campaign to reach out to them."